Agricultural Research in New Hampshire 13 



to unforeseen circumstances, only commercial Butternut squashes were 

 available, and facilities were limited to frozen storage. The samples this 

 year appeared much riper and in better condition than those used pre- 

 viously. The fresh samples contained 15.3 per cent solids and gave values 

 of 43 meg. carotene per gin., which is approximately three times higher 

 than last year's carotene figures and one and one-half times higher than 

 the previous year. 



While blanching and chilling in distilled water preparatory to quick- 

 freezing, total weight changes were studied, and it was noted that there 

 was an increase of approximately 7 per cent over the original weight. At 

 the same time moisture determinations on the fresh and blanched and 

 chilled samples showed a loss of approximately 6 per cent of the original 

 total solids. This loss was confirmed by analysis for solids of the water 

 used. 



The carotene values obtained for the blanched, chilled, and quick- 

 frozen samples ranged from 45 to 50 meg/g. with a solids content rang- 

 ing from 12.1 per cent to 13.4 per cent. At the end of six months' storage 

 the values ranged from 53 to 55 meg/g., with no change in the range of 

 solids. In last year's total solids increased during storage from 15.7 per 

 cent to 22.0 per cent over the same period. Because of this change in 

 moisture content, paraffin-treated cartons were used this year for storage, 

 which, in all probability, accounts for the stability of the moisture and 

 solids figures, as noted above. The loss of total solids noted this year 

 from the fresh to the blanched and chilled samples was also noted in last 

 year's data. 



IV. The Effects of Canning (Home and Commercial) and Quick- 

 Freezing on the Vitamin Content of String Beans. Two varieties of 

 green snap beans (Bountiful and i\sgrow) were studied to determine the 

 changes in ascorbic acid and carotene of the fresh and preserved products 



- frozen, home, and commercially canned. Marketable beans, grown 

 locally on different farms, and used for fresh analyses and preserving, 

 were all sized to eliminate errors due to maturity in the fresh state, and 

 to permit a comparison of preserved packages. Each fresh sample con- 

 sisted of 100 pods of any given size. The weight of this fresh sample 

 varied with size, and the same size varied in weight within itself and with 

 the season. Sized Bountiful beans picked July 23 varied in weight as fol- 

 lows: No. 1-271 g.; No. 2 - 496 g.; No. 3 - 748 g.; No. 4-918 g.; No. 5 



- 1128 g.; No. 6 - 1255 g. Variations within a size were noted when size 

 Bountiful No. 3, picked on August 21, varied as follows: 680 g., 714 g., 

 641 g., 732 g., and 690 g. Seasonal variation was noted- when four pick- 

 ings, at two-day intervals, of No. 4 Asgrow beans picked between July 

 26 and August 3 changed in weight progressively from 467 to 612 g. 

 These beans were picked from a single planting on the Horticultural 

 Farm. 



For preservation studies, when more than one variety was used, sam- 

 ples were preserved only when they were of equal maturity. Asgrow 

 bean No. 4, being a round bean, is considered to be of the same maturity 

 as Bountiful No. 3, a flat bean, both reaching this sieve size 25 days from 



